It is with a heavy heart that we report the death after a short illness of Steve Pickard. He was sailing off the coast of Spain when he became unwell last month.

Steve was one of our inspiring and longstanding Royal Cruising Club Pilotage Foundation authors who had been with the Pilotage Foundation since 2009 - author of Mediterranean Spain and South Biscay. He had extensive sailing experience in South Biscay and Mediterranean Spain and beyond upon his beloved yacht, Hobo.

Royal Cruising Club Pilotage Foundation Director, Antony Wells shares his thoughts: "Steve Pickard was a loyal Pilotage Foundation author and true inspiration to us all. His passing has come as an awful shock but maybe there's an upside in living life to the full right up to the end, as Steve has shown us. It has been a pleasure to work beside Steve over the last 15 years. He will be greatly missed. We share our condolences with Steve's family during the challenging times."